Prema

Prema is one of those rare artistes whose sound is truly original. Her voice is distinct, emotive, rich and alluring, her music is engaging, vibrant and alive and her lyrics are honest, eloquent, expressive and witty; a stunning combination which never fails to resonate with her listeners. She is soul, she is funk, she is jazz and she is rhythm & blues – the epitome of fusion.

Music has always played a definitive part in Prema’s life. Born in Malaysia to teacher parents, her love for music was nurtured. From an early age she learnt the piano & violin and being taught in the Classical form, acquired the basics and much needed foundation which would set her up in later years. It soon became evident however that her passion lay with the guitar which she picked up around the age of 14. Once she held her guitar, singing was a natural progression. From this union emerged the beautiful voice that you hear now. It seemed like the one was made for the other and to this day the sound of Prema singing with her acoustic guitar is deeply rousing

Prema’s fledgling years in music began in Adelaide Australia where she attended high school and then later on, university. While studying for her Bachelor of Arts (majoring in history), she began her career busking in the local mall. These early beginnings were a time of prolific songwriting and gigging. Prema considers this period as ‘paying her dues’ and it was a valued time of learning and experience for her calling in music.

After attaining her degree, Prema returned to Malaysia to join the country’s then biggest independent label RAP. The highlight of her time with them was performing at the largest concert in Malaysia to 45, 000 people. In 1994, Warner Music Malaysia (WEA) bought over RAP and offered Prema a record contract. She accepted it and work on her album began in earnest. In 1997, Prema released her eponymous debut album with Warner Music Malaysia, which was critically acclaimed and consequently nominated for 4 awards at AIM (Malaysia’s Grammy equivalent). She received rave reviews from Malaysia’s most respected critics, ‘She has embedded herself in the discerning music listener’s subconscious. And that, is the mark of a great artiste’ (Galaxy, Jan 1997) and from the Sunday Star Newspaper (Jan 1997), ‘She deserves every bit of success and adulation for delivering such a classy piece of work. If this were the USA she would have been noticed by now’.

In 1999 Prema relocated to the United Kingdom and spent the next few years taking a break from performance, while still continuing to write music for her then publishers Warner Chappell. At this time she worked on her own music and many of the songs from her new album ‘in Fusion’ were written during this period.

2006 saw the beginnings of ‘in Fusion’ with Prema taking on the producer role for her album. Released independently through her record label MoreReverb.com this album took 2 years to reach fruition. Prema put all her efforts into producing the songs and sourcing the perfect musicians to play on the album and in October 2008, she went to The Cutting Room in New York City to record ‘in Fusion’. She never would have believed that the end result would feature legends Wah Wah Watson and Peter Erskine, geniuses Luis Perdomo, Damian Erskine and Bashiri Johnson...these musicians are her heroes and working with them was a dream come true. Wah Wah Watson had already recorded his parts in LA and the rest of the band met in NYC to record the album ‘live’ in 2 days. The entire album of 13 songs, took 13 days to record, mix and master. It is a stunning and inspired piece of work, the likes of which have not been heard for a long time. ‘in Fusion’ definitely boasts an elite assembly of like souls and talents; the resulting recordings are a true reflection of that.

This exquisite album marks the beginning of the next era in Prema’s career. Her many talents and unmistakable style have earned her the respect of her peers and fans internationally and now that Prema has arrived on the world stage, she is poised to make a lasting impression in the music lover’s consciousness.